Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
This award-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran has died 89 years old.
This star, whose filmography featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was revealed via an announcement from her offspring, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mother in several movies such as Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero and my special gift as a mother”, stating that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative as well as empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years included minor parts in TV shows such as Gunsmoke and that decade saw her starring alongside actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
In the same year, 1974, she shared the screen with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s praised dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she was seen in the dramatic film Black Widow and funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on Alice, a comedy program derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she was given an additional supporting actress nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the parent of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. The following year she was awarded an additional nod for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred Laura Dern.
“This movie which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited me and Laura to England for a special screening and a celebration for us,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”
The nineties included parts in comedy Cemetery Club, a film joining her again with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as Dern’s mother another time. The decade also saw her score Emmy nominations for performances on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She persisted in performing with her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen next to Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
Ladd also wrote and helmed the comedy Mrs Munck featuring Diane Ladd and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him in a film. In fact, I am the sole female in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Connections
She was additionally a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact throughout my life”.
Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and advised she had just six months to live yet she recovered completely once her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like an injury, rather utilize it to discover, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd said.